Page 65 - vanity-fair

scholars, and was ‘taken down’ continually by little fellows
with pink faces and pinafores when he marched up with the
lower form, a giant amongst them, with his downcast, stu-
pefied look, his dog’s-eared primer, and his tight corduroys.
High and low, all made fun of him. They sewed up those
corduroys, tight as they were. They cut his bed-strings.
They upset buckets and benches, so that he might break his
shins over them, which he never failed to do. They sent him
parcels, which, when opened, were found to contain the pa-
ternal soap and candles. There was no little fellow but had
his jeer and joke at Dobbin; and he bore everything quite
patiently, and was entirely dumb and miserable.
Cuff, on the contrary, was the great chief and dandy of
the Swishtail Seminary. He smuggled wine in. He fought
the town-boys. Ponies used to come for him to ride home
on Saturdays. He had his top-boots in his room, in which
he used to hunt in the holidays. He had a gold repeater: and
took snuff like the Doctor. He had been to the Opera, and
knew the merits of the principal actors, preferring Mr. Kean
to Mr. Kemble. He could knock you off forty Latin verses in
an hour. He could make French poetry. What else didn’t he
know, or couldn’t he do? They said even the Doctor himself
was afraid of him.
Cuff, the unquestioned king of the school, ruled over his
subjects, and bullied them, with splendid superiority. This
one blacked his shoes: that toasted his bread, others would
fag out, and give him balls at cricket during whole summer
afternoons. ‘Figs’ was the fellow whom he despised most,
and with whom, though always abusing him, and sneer-

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